Hey book lovers! I’ve been putting off this review for a long time because I really didn’t like this book, however, I am going to try and leave you with some final thoughts that will help find the right reader for this story. I read The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager for The Literally Dead Book Club. You can find the club on Goodreads or Instagram and Kayla also talks about it on her Youtube channel called Books and Lala.

About The Book 📚

Title: The House Across the Lake

Author: Riley Sager (pen name for Todd Ritter/Alan Finn)

Publication Date: June 2022

Publisher: Dutton

Suggested Reader Age: Adult

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Pages: 349

“The lake is darker than a coffin with the lid shut.”

My Review

› “By mid-October it feels like the darkness of the lake has flooded the shore and seeped into the houses themselves, dimming their light. This is especially true of the house directly across the lake.”

The House Across the Lake is a mysterious and suspenseful thriller set on a secluded lake in Vermont. Casey is an actor and a thirty-five-year-old widow. Her husband recently drowned and she’s not dealing with it well. After a public meltdown, her family suggests she should stay at the family’s lakehouse to avoid the paparazzi. The house was built by her great-great-grandfather and the lake only has 4 other houses. Casey’s alcoholism is quickly getting out of control. One day, she sees a woman fall out of a boat and Casey saves Katherine from drowning. Katherine recently quit her modelling job and her husband is the CEO of a social media company. Casey and Katherine become fast friends. Then, Katherine goes missing. Tom is suspected also to be missing, yet Casey is convinced he murdered his wife.

The story is told in dual-timeline, “before” and “now”. In the “now” chapters Casey has someone tied up on the bed. We don’t know who she has tied up, but she’s convinced they know where Katherine is.

› I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 2
Boon Conrad…..meow! He’s really the only character that I liked. None of the women are written as smart, capable people.

› Atmosphere: 4
I liked the setting and atmosphere.

› Writing Style: 1
The author is telling the reader things that are obvious, not letting us think. I don’t like the info dumping either. I do like the dual timeline. I’m tired of alcoholism being used as a plot device. The repetition drove me crazy. The young women were “taken in their prime”?! UGH. How are women “past our prime”? I found the “before” chapters really boring. This story is a mess.

› Plot: 2
I felt bored for the first third of the book. The ending was a cheap cop-out.

› Intrigue: 3

› Logic: 2
It’s strange that Casey saved Katherine from drowning then minutes later they’re just chatting like it’s Sunday afternoon tea time. When Casey tells Marnie about it, it’s just mentioned in passing and they move on as if this is something that happens every day. When Eli finds their boat abandoned in the lake with the fishing gear, he didn’t think to maybe look around for Tom?
Also, there is NO WAY a detective would show an ex-cop and a civilian that kind of information about an active investigation.
It was mentioned Katherine was making more money than what is reported, but then never explained. The Royce’s don’t have a house alarm on a fancy lake house? Strange character choices and missing time.

› Enjoyment: 1

Average 2.1

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★

› Final Thoughts
• Although The House Across the Lake isn’t for me, and I’m done reading Sager’s books, there are people who loved this in our online book club. This is a good choice for a book club because it will inspire lots of discussion. I recommend this to people looking for a quick read set in a cool location with an isolated atmosphere and is okay with a ridiculous ending.

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